How time flies?

Well, it's been a while.  And I wish I could say that I was off somewhere warm twiddling my thumbs...not the case at all.  First there was the return to school - 1st grade transition.  That's a story for a separate posting.  Then, once we were settled in the school setting, there was the turmoil in the work setting.  I don't do roller coasters and up in the air rides at amusement parks but golly gee...life itself can be a roller coaster. 

With school, work, and home settled it was then time for the first class field trip.  I enjoy the role of chaperone but the hassle of securing the background check is quite discombobulating.  Been on the field trip...a different farm in VA - quite large, quite exciting though I couldn't understand why a farm, hosting children for pumpkin patch and other activities would cook in peanut oil.  Fortunately, we don't have peanut allergies but it seems like such an oddity given the number of children with peanut allergies.

After the field trip (November) came time to prepare for Christmas.  How many Christmas celebrations can one child participate in?  Three, it seems.

In the church play she served as a  junior angel.  Quite angelic and really riveted by the story and the music.  The joy of watching her make connections doesn't end.  The Amy Grant song about Mary (Mary's Song) on the radio it's compelling, when played in a church while actors convey the meaning with their actions, it's riveting.  Apparently, the music and the meaning of the drama as it unfolded, had more meaning to her than if we had read the story.  With the music and the drama images in her head, the bible story when it was discussed in Sunday School and read at home made even more sense.

Then there was the Sunday School concert.  And finally, there was supposed to be the Before & After Care holiday production and the school's annual Cookies and Cocoa affair.  Well, it snowed - 20-plus inches - so the school things were canceled.  Never fear, the Cookies and Cocoa was held in January - the night before another mild snow-ice event.  Singing walking in a winter wonderland was fun especially with the knowledge that there was more precipitation in the air.  What fun!

So here we are now in mid-January.  She made the connection between the "Santa Claus is coming to town" songs and the toy commercials and 'oh, I can ask for something at Christmas'.  This year, she wrote her first letter to Santa Claus.  Simple letter - just three items: dollhouse, princess & frog toy, and a bear.  Santa was more than able and willing to oblige.

How time flies when you're having fun...when you're transitioning from kindergarten to first grade...when your workplace is in chaos.  Even when time flies, there are learning moments and events that allow me to engage with the challenges of the ASD (autism spectrum disorder) in ways that are not only meaningful but also energizing and rewarding.

Here's to a great 2010 and more consistent blog posting!